Food containment cooking device

ABSTRACT

A multi-purpose device for holding food items for cooking, storage and other purposes is disclosed. One use of the device is for the poaching of one or more eggs. The device is formed and dimensioned to float in boiling water without tipping over and spilling an egg contained within.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of and is acontinuation-in-part of United States Design Patent Application having atitle of POACH POD, filed on Mar. 11, 2006 and assigned Ser. No.29/255,628 and issued as U.S. Design Pat. No. D556,501 on Dec. 4, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of food containment devicesfor use during cooking, and more particularly to a device for poachingeggs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Making an acceptable poached egg is a challenge for most people. Onecontributing factor is that poaching eggs is generally not a dailyoccurrence with most people. This may result in a user under-cooking orover-cooking an egg. Additionally, there is a tendency with conventionalegg poachers for the egg to stick to the cooking surface, yieldingunacceptable results.

There are several generally accepted features for an acceptable poachedegg. One feature is an egg whose whites have been cooked to set but theyolk is still partially runny. Another feature is that the egg remainsintact without losing significant volume into the water. Another featureis an egg that does not stick to the cooking device, since once the eggsticks there is egg loss that occurs and the likelihood for bursting theyolk during removal is higher.

Conventional cooking devices dedicated to poaching eggs are generallybulky and require precious cabinet space for storage. Also, withconventional poaching devices the eggs generally stick to the cookingsurface of the device. Some conventional poaching devices have stainlessegg shaped holders that submerge in water and have a handle for removalfrom water. The drawback of these devices is that they have small holesin the bottom area, some of the egg is lost through these holes, plusthe egg tends to stick in these holes. Recently devices for the poachingof eggs have been made of silicon. However even in the known siliconeversions the holes in the bottom cause egg loss and cause some stickingas egg hardens within these holes. This may increase the cleaning time.

Many of the conventional egg poachers have only one function—to poacheggs—and have no further utility. Also many of the conventional eggpoachers are designed to poach multiple eggs simultaneously. Singlepeople, couples with different schedules, dieters, etc. may only want topoach one egg or prepare a single service portion of a food item placedinto a cooking device such as a poacher.

Known art related to egg poaching device includes the following.

U.S. Pat. No. 148,817, issued to Fowler on Mar. 24, 1874, discloses anapparatus for poaching eggs.

U.S. Pat. No. 451,166, issued to Bryant on Apr. 28, 1891, discloses adevice whereby eggs may be boiled or poached after breaking them intosuitable receptacles.

U.S. Pat. No. 864,369, issued to Graham on Aug. 27, 1907, discloses anegg poaching pan which prevents the separation of the white of an eggduring the poaching operation and from which a poached egg can bequickly and easily removed and placed upon toast or other articlewithout breaking the egg.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,455,780, issued to Corwin on May 22, 1923, discloses acooking utensil for isolating articles for simultaneous cooking.

U.S. Pat. No. D157,803, issued to Ulmer on Mar. 21, 1950, illustrates anegg poacher for poaching one or two eggs.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,480, issued to Dreyfus on Feb. 20, 1968, disclosesan egg cooking and serving vessel suitable for cooking and serving asingle egg.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,508, issued to Wallard on Aug. 27, 1974, disclosesan egg cooker in which an egg can be conformed to a predetermined shapein a rack for use in a toaster, an oven or in boiling water.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,032, issued to Levinson on Jul. 21, 1981, disclosesa microwave-reflective first container, designed to preclude microwaveexposure of the sides and bottom and limit exposure to the top of ashelled, raw egg contained therein, is covered by a microwave-permeablelid and nested within a microwave-permeable second container so that thebottom and lower sides of said first container are in physical contactwith a microwave-lossy liquid contained therein. Also, disclosed aretemperature monitoring, a spoon shape to said first container's bottom,restricting the ability of said first container to rotate and methods ofusing said apparatus to soft and hard cook raw, shelled eggs from boththeir pre-frozen and room temperature states.

U.S. Pat. No. D352,206, issued to Davis on Nov. 8, 1994, illustrates anegg poacher for one or two eggs.

U.S. Pat. No. D363,636, issued to Leung on Oct. 31, 1995, illustrates anegg poacher for one or two eggs.

U.S. Pat. No. D381,554, issued to Tichenor on Jul. 29, 1997, illustratesan egg poacher for poaching one, two, three or four eggs.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do not utilize or disclose aegg poacher that can be used to poach a single serving, that is easy touse to get the desired egg consistency, that is multi-purpose, that iseasy to store, that is easy to clean, that is floatable, and that has noholes in the cooking area.

Therefore, a need exists for a food containment cooking device withthese attributes and functionalities. The food containment cookingdevice according to embodiments of the invention substantially departsfrom the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art. It can beappreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improvedfood containment cooking device which can be used commercially. In thisregard, the present invention substantially fulfills these objectives.

The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the artof which the inventors are aware and are tendered with a view towarddischarging the inventors' acknowledged duty of candor in disclosinginformation that may be pertinent to the patentability of the presentinvention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoingpatent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly orwhen considered in combination, the inventors' claimed invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a device that can containfood, for cooking, storage and other purposes. Generally speaking, thepresent invention facilitates the poaching of one or more eggs.

In an exemplary embodiment the food containment cooking device iscomprised of a one piece flexible bowl like structure with an inside, anoutside, a bottom and a wall proceeding from the bottom that is angledoutward from the bottom. This structure forms a hollowed out space, orcavity, within the structure into which food items may be placed. Thebottom and the wall are dimensioned to facilitate floating in boilingwater when a food item, such as an egg yolk and accompanying egg white,are contained within, e.g., the bottom is curved so the device rocksback and forth in boiling water and the walls are splayed outward toincrease volume and stability. The wall thickness is about 0.027 inchesat the bottom and graduates to 0.057 inches towards the top. In apreferred embodiment the present invention is dimensioned to provide asingle serving, e.g. the poaching of one egg.

In a preferred embodiment the material used to form the food containmentcooking device is made from highly heat resistant silicon. Depending onthe functional characteristics desired the wall thickness may varybetween 0.015 inches and 0.090 inches. In other embodiments the presentinvention may be made from flexible plastic.

In some embodiments the present invention may be further comprised ofone or more tabs that protrude upward from the top of the wall so that auser's fingers may grasp the tabs for removing the food containmentcooking device from hot water.

In other embodiments the present invention may be further comprised of afoot or flat portion on the bottom most portion of the bottom surface ofthe food containment cooking device so that the device may rest in anupright position on a counter or in the microwave.

In other embodiments the present invention may be further comprised ofone or more holes at the top of the wall. In embodiments having tabs,the holes may be disposed therein. The holes may be used for theplacement of retail tags, for hanging on a hook, to assist in theremoval of the device from hot water.

In another embodiment three or more of the present invention may beconnected or formed together in an arrangement that maintains thefloating feature while allowing the cooking of more than one serving ofa food item.

When the present invention is in a substantially upright position itfacilitates the holding of food items such as eggs, rice, cake batter,flan, frozen desserts, and the like. This holding may be during cooking,e.g. the present invention is placed in a pot or pan in the oven, on thestove top, microwave. This holding may be during storage in arefrigerator or freezer.

In one embodiment the food containment cooking device made of a flexiblematerial, e.g. high temperature resistant silicon, which is floatableand is formed in one piece to have a curved bottom and a wall thatseamlessly encompasses the bottom and protrudes from the bottom upwardat an obtuse angle to form a cavity and a wall top edge having aplurality of undulations. In an exemplary embodiment these undulationsform three peaks and three valleys. The peaks form tabs that may or maynot have a hole formed therein, depending on the embodiment. Thethickness of the flexible material is preferably 0.090 inches, but maybe less than that thickness, depending on the cooking characteristicsdesired.

In some embodiments the bottom-most portion of the bottom may be flat togive the device stability when placed on a flat surface.

The present invention departs from the prior art in several features.The ability to float is one. The ability to float without tipping overand spilling held food items during boiling is another. Another featureis the ability of the device to float and have the held food itemssurrounded by hot water for even, rapid cooking is another. Anotherfeature is the prevention of egg matter being lost into the water.Another feature is that the smoothness of the surface of the devicedeters an egg sticking to the silicone. Another feature of the presentinvention is that the wall thickness of the device may be dimensioned toachieve a 4-minute soft poach or a 6-minute firm poach.

One aspect of the present invention is that it is designed for theboiling of a food item place therein. This is accomplished by placingthe device in enough water to permit floating, resulting in heat beingdistributed evenly around the contained food and resulting in rapidcooking. The poaching of an egg is one use of the device in boilingwater. The device can also be used to mimic a double boiler for themelting of chocolate or sugar. The preparation of flan is another foodthat this device would be particularly helpful in making due to theinherent non-stick features of the material and that the device floatsin a water bath.

Another feature of the present invention is that it is also designed forthe baking of food items placed therein, as well as the microwaving offood items placed therein. The device may be used to give a unique domeshape to baked or micro-waved foods.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it is also designed tobe used as a molding vessel. The present invention may be positionedupside down and a melted substance, e.g. melted chocolate or sugar,drizzled over the device. The device with the drizzle may then be placedin the freezer; the device may later be removed from the freezer and thedrizzled substance removed from the device by peeling the device awayfrom drizzled substance. The arched substance that remains can then beused as a stylish accent over desserts, e.g., ice cream, pies, miniaturepastries, and the like. In the upright position the device may be usedas a frozen dessert cup.

Another aspect of the present invention is that is may be manufacturedeconomically.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it may be made fromreadily available materials.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bepresented in more detail in the following specification of the inventionand the accompanying figures, which illustrate by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

There are additional features of the invention that will be describedhereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claimsappended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least oneembodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of description andshould not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a food containment cookingdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front plan view of a food containment cookingdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a left side plan view of a food containment cookingdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top plan view of a food containment cooking device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom plan view of a food containment cookingdevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference toa few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. In the following description, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presentinvention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, thatthe present invention may be practiced without some or all of thesespecific details. In other instances, well known operations have notbeen described in detail so not to unnecessarily obscure the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 a food containment cooking device100 is comprised of a bottom 130 from which a wall 140 protrudes upwardat an obtuse angle and encompasses the bottom 130 forming an outsidesurface 120, an inside surface 110 and a cavity 600. The thickness ofthe wall 140 is preferably 0.090 inches or slightly thinner in orderthat the boiling water cooking time for an egg may be between 4 minutesand 6 minutes, based on the desired consistency of the egg yolk. In someembodiments the top of the wall 140 may be of uniform height or may havean undulating height. In one embodiment having an undulating height, thealternating peaks and valleys of the undulation form a plurality of tab200 and valley 300. In a preferred embodiment there are threesubstantially equally spaced tabs 200 separated by three substantiallyequally spaced valleys 300. In some embodiments, at least one of tab 200has a tab hole 400 formed within tab 200. In other embodiments a tabhole 400 is formed with each tab 200.

In one embodiment the food containment cooking device is made asfollows:

-   -   Create a metal mold by cutting a semi circular shaped cavity        that will create a thin wall thickness of 0.090 inches or        thinner.    -   Dimension the cavity deep enough to hold the volume of one egg.    -   Fill the mold with silicone or other suitable material.    -   Cure the material.    -   Remove the material from the mold.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, various modifications may be made without deviating fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. For example, many of the featuresand components described above in the context of a particular foodcontainment cooking device configuration can be incorporated into otherconfigurations in accordance with other embodiments of the invention.Accordingly, the invention is not limited except by the appended claims.

1. A method of poaching an egg, the method comprising the steps of:placing an egg yolk and accompanying egg white into a structure whichcomprises: a flanged flexible cup formed from silicon that includes abottom wherein at least the upper portion of the bottom is curved, asubstantially flat wall being adjoined to and seamlessly encompassingthe bottom and protruding from the curved portion of the bottom upwardat an angle to form a cavity defined by the interior side of the walland the interior side of the bottom, the angle of the walls beingsufficient enough so that the flanged cup can float in a stable mannerin boiling water with the bottom remaining under the water and withouttipping over; a wall top edge having a plurality of undulations, and thecup being sufficiently flexible to allow the cup to fold and bend;placing the structure with the egg yolk and accompanying egg white intoboiling water, the shape and dimensions of the structure being such thatat least the entire contents of the flanged cup are below the boilingwater; removing the structure after a desired period of time; andpeeling the cup away from the poached egg.